Ideas for no waste chick feeders

[bobshere]

As we all know chicks probably waste almost half the feed you give to them. Does anyone have any no waste chick feeder ideas? So tired of throwing half my feed in the garbage.

Thanks

 

[NatJ]

You could dump the chick bedding into the pen with adult chickens, so the big ones can pick out the bits of chick food and eat it. Chick food is fine for adult chickens to eat too, and they sometimes like it better than their own food.

That won't solve the problem of chicks spilling feed, but at least you wouldn't be throwing the food away.

I've used the kind of chick feeders with little holes for them to reach through (round one goes on a jar, or long trough with a lid.) They are better than open feeders, but the chicks still scrape food out and waste it.

I've also used the kind of feeder with a trough around the base, and a big cylinder in the center that holds food. I think the chicks waste more with that style of feeder, although even that is better than a big open dish they can stand and scratch in.

 

[RojoMarz]

I use a feeder similar to this one...I set it in an empty pie pan. The pie pan contains what is billed out. I then use the contents in the pie pan to refill the feeder.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I've been fermenting my chick feed, but plain soaking works too. They step in it, but it definitely cuts down on the waste!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Short of the old tin tray with the holes to peck through there just aren't many options any better than the next. But the time they spend as chicks is small and like another poster already said, dump the waste in the big girl's pen. Or if you have a fish pond....

 

[TJAnonymous]

I had this very issue yesterday and put my chick feeder inside a vegetable flat... It captures the mess. The chicks eat it out of the box after they've flipped it out of the feeder....

 

[0die]

I use a feeder similar to this one...I set it in an empty pie pan. The pie pan contains what is billed out. I then use the contents in the pie pan to refill the feeder.

I do the same thing. I have an old planter tray. The one that catches the water when the flower pot is full. The baby chick feeder fits just inside of it and catches all the spilled feed. Dump it back in the jar and start over.

 

[cmobley]

Feeder on the right waterer on the left.

 

[Sally PB]

^^ What a great idea! I even have a couple of coffee containers to make into a feeder and a waterer.

 

[cmobley]

Those are 3/4" holes or hole saw 1 1/8" I was making those at night in a rush I usually make a 1/2" hole saw hole. The chick's can climb in and out of those holes the first week but not the smaller holes. I think there's a thread around here from a week or so back with these and someone making feeders out of egg cartons.